Twitter, according to its creators, is more of an information network than a social network which allows its users to do micro-blogging. It was created with the idea of giving any individual with an SMS service, the ability to communicate with a small group of their making. This would mean you could update your Twitter from anywhere and receive from anywhere. This SMS aspect of Twitter is what is basically responsible for the 140-character limit for tweets.
Now, since you are reading this article, you are most probably a newbie when it comes to Twitter and are actually looking for Twitter Tips for Beginners in this reading. Without much further ado, below is a list of tips for you up-and-coming Twitterati to make you better able to understand Twitter etiquette and acronyms.
- If you haven’t set-up your Twitter account yet, here is a link to how to set up a twitter account. It might be best to get on to this later though, once you are done with reading the other tips.
- Given that there is a 140-character limit for your tweets, it would be best to make use of URL-shortening services like tinyurl.com and bit.ly so you wouldn’t have to waste a number of characters on those long URLs you share in your tweets. Shrink your URL.
- There is a Direct Messaging function in Twitter that allows you to send a private 140-character message to a ‘follower’. Followers are users that have subscribed to your profile page and are able to ‘follow’ you on Twitter. They are the ones that get to read all your tweets.
- Retweet, baby! If you copy someone else’s tweet, it is only proper that you give credit to the original tweeter. You do this by simply putting “RT @name” in front of the tweet you copied and go ahead and retweet.
- If you want to create a reply to a specific user on Twitter, place an @ sign in front of their Twitter name. This would mean that the first character of your tweet would be the @ sign. You could also see replies to your own tweets by clicking on @Replies from your profile page.
- When tweeting about a popular subject, make sure to place a # sign in front of the subject name. This would make it easy for other users on Twitter to find your tweet.
- Intending to search for certain people, groups or topics on Twitter? Search.twitter.com is just what you need to easily pull this off. Save or bookmark this link.
- Did I mention that Twitter was created with SMS in mind? Well, Twitter’s creators have definitely done that since Twitter allows you to update your status and receive update via SMS. To enable this feature, go to the ‘Devices’ tab under ‘Settings’ and enter your phone number so you would begin receiving and sending mobile tweets.
- It would be wise to download a mobile client for your smartphone if you intend to follow Twitter on it. Mobile clients make it more convenient for you to use Twitter than just using text messages.
I hope you have found these Twitter Tips for Beginners truly helpful and useful in starting out your Twitter experience!
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Nice articles.. But you should updated this articles since now twitter automatically shortening your link..